after seeing Batman the Dark Knight once ive come to realize that im going to have to see it again just to catch all the philosophical ideas that were touched on in the film. politics, game theory, crime, social darwinism, human nature and being a real leader as opposed to just a hero are some of the topics introduced in this comic book film. but the one concept that has stuck in my mind is the actual character of the Joker. now, its not just that Heath Ledgers performance was a tour de force or that the character was all covered in a sadistic clown makeup that causes him to standout. its that the Joker comes off as a metaphor for all those who oppose civilization, especially western civilization - the bane of the easily offended. if you look at everyone through out history that has opposed those who are good and the civilization that they represent they all have qualities of the Joker. they are irrational, sometimes unpredictable, bitter, envious, emotionally driven, angry(in the Jokers case apparently he had an abusive childhood and family problems is a common theme among the perpetually angry.), frequently isolated, many times narcissistic and in many ways socially dysfunctional. also sometimes they feel left out or cheated by society and therefore seek to exact revenge on those who have caused their pain.
judas was greedy for money, lee harvey oswald was angry about cuba(supposedly anyway), manson was just plain nuts, the washington dc sniper and the seattle synagogue killer were angry muslims, and osama bin laden was offended by the west and its presence in the middle east(among other things). al gore feels betrayed by the bush administration, michael moore is angry at bush about 9/11, john stuart and colbert dont have what it takes to lead or run for office so they engage in childlike anger driven satire. none of the behavior is constructive its all destructive. nothing about democracy, debate, objective journalism, or the lefts dreaded concept - faith. its all about them and their perceived need to get back at all of us - to make us pay.
these Jokers all have the same thing in common they are on the outside, they don't want to participate in society in a constructive way, they want to bring things down and replace them with...better leadership? state control? carnage? anarchy? in many ways the Jokers sidekick clowns are the michael moores, the john stuarts, the colberts. self destructive, bitter, angry, envious, unwilling to participate in the real world all they can do is joke and mock and side with others who do the same. and todays real Joker, the real madman, is Osama Bin Laden - an angry, desperate irrational person who "just wants to see the world burn" who can't be reasoned with, negotiated with, or placated in anyway. remember nick berg i think, who had his head cut off on video? remember those US army soldiers who were captured and tortured by terrorists in iraq? remember daniel pearl? what madness Bin Laden has perpetuated.
no i take that back, Osama is history. his Al Qaeda crime organization has been stopped cold in Iraq. his plans for a caliphate have been thwarted and his desire to acquire nuclear weapons have been foiled. Gotham (AKA the west) will not burn by his command. it will come at the hands of that small man from Iran, mahmoud ahmadinejad, who like Napoleon has an inferiority complex and like hitler he hates the jews and the west. he is the real Joker of our times now and it remains to be seen if the world will burn because of him.
i think its up to us the civilized ones to try to build a society that upholds what is noble and good and gives everyone a fair chance at participating. its up to us who believe in western civ to uphold its values. to protect the weak, educate the ignorant, reform the criminal or punish him, and to maintain the laws that have allowed for free elections, a free economy, freedom of religion, and a free people. its up to us to root out corruption and deny the Jokers of this world an opportunity to strike at our way of life.
The Joker is a metaphor for terrorism(and unresolved anger) and he is very scary to watch. Lets see it as an incentive to do good.
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